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The Founding of the Review 



By 

CHARLES Ev CHAPMAN 



COMPLiME^ 

E6 E C.-iAPMr 



Reprinted from The Hispanic American Historical Review, 
Vol. I, No. I, February, igi8 



U 



v:> 



tK, 



Reprinted from The Hispanic Amebican Historical Reyibw, Vol. I No. 1,, 1918 



THE FOUNDING OF THE REVIEW 

The founding of the Hispanic American Historical Review 
is the natural result of the growing demand for a periodical which 
could supply the technical needs of students in the Hispanic- 
American field. Not only was there no single periodical adequate 
to their purpose among the many devoted in whole or in part to 
the southern countries of the Americas, but indeed in all of them 
together there was hardly enough material of the kind which the 
historical investigator would require.^ There was no medium 
for articles which would not find a ready acceptance in existing 
periodicals of history, and especially was it true that none of the 
latter provided the bibliographical and other technical informa- 
tion about Hispanic America which is almost a prerequisite to 
the successful handling of this largely unorganized field. There 
seemed to be a general agreement, too, that Hispanic America 
itself and the relations of the United States with, and with regard 
to, the lands composing it were of enough consequence to merit 
the publication of a review, and it was everywhere asserted, with 
evident justice, that the field was a growing one, responding to 
the ever greater importance attached in this country to questions 
having to do with our neighbors in the south. 

Such was the nature of the remarks between individuals in this 
field, but in 1915 an exceptional opportunity was presented for a 
more general exchange of views. In that year a special session 
of the American Historical Association was held at San Francisco 
and the neighboring university towns of Berkeley and Palo Alto 
in connection with the Panama Pacific Exposition. As appears 
from the papers published in the memorial volume of that meet- 

1 It will not come as a surprise to a number that the Christian Science Monitor 
has been regarded by some of our leading experts as the best working tool in 
existence on Hispanic America. With all due respect to the excellent Boston 
publication it would seem that history men should have an organ a little more akin 
to their profession. 



Gift 

Author 

DEC ss urn 



THE FOUNDING OF THE REVIEW 



ing,2 the whole tenor of the occasion was distinctly Hispanic, 
reflecting the activity of the historians of the Pacific Coast and the 
Southwest in precisely those fields of history which bear a close 
relation to the colonial endeavors of Spain. The presence of the 
distinguished Spanish historian, Rafael Altamira, perhaps the 
most widely known of the invited guests from foreign countries, 
was an added factor tending in the same direction. It was Senor 
Altamira, indeed, who suggested the founding of just such a peri- 
odical as is now being launched, and the matter was informally 
discussed, although no definite steps were taken. In the follow- 
ing year it chanced that Dr. William Spence Robertson and the 
writer represented, respectively, the universities of lUinois and 
California at the American Congress of Bibliography and History 
held in Buenos Aires to commemorate the one hundredth anni- 
versary of the Argentine Declaration of Independence (July 9, 
1816). Perhaps the principal result of the congress was the 
expression of a desire for the publication of a bibhographical 
periodical which would enable students to know what scholarly 
work was being done in all branches of learning in the various 
countries of the Americas. It was also hoped that such a peri- 
odical might be published in each country. In accord with the 
spirit of the congress and having regard to the facts as they were 
in the United States, Doctor Robertson and the writer decided to 
make a formal proposal to the history profession in our country 
for the founding of a review to be a little less broadly inclusive 
than the one suggested at Buenos Aires, to deal with Hispanic- 
American history. In conversations with the leaders of the con- 
gress, they announced their intention, and received the hearty 
indorsement of these men. Thereupon they sent a communica- 
tion to the American Historical Review which was printed in the 
number for October, 1916. The communication follows: 

» The Pacific Ocean in history, ed. by H. Morse Stephens and Herbert E. Bolton. 
New York. 1917. 



10 THE HISPANIC AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW 

An Ihero- American Historical Review 

To the Managing Editor of The American Historical Review: 

Dear Sir: The undersigned wish to suggest to the American His- 
torical Association, through the Review, that a section should be devoted 
at the next meeting of the Association to a discussion of the feasibility 
of founding an Ibero-American Historical Review. They believe that 
the pubHcation of such a review would be, possibly, the most practical 
method for North American historical scholars to cooperate with the 
permanent Congress and the American Bibliographical Institute which 
have just befen established by the Congreso AmeVicano de Bibliograf fa 
e Historia at Bueiios Aires. In connection with the project to found a 
new historical review, the undersigned wish to make the following 
tentative suggestions : — 

1. That the said revieW should be ddvoted to the history (political, 
economic, social, and diplomatic, as w6ll as narrativ^) and institutions 
of Spain, Portugal, and the Latin-Amencan states. 

2. That it follow the general style and arrangement of the American 
Historical Review, but with more space allotted to bibliography. 

3. That articles in Spanish and Portuguese be printed as well as 
those in English. 

4. That the articles pubHshed be mainly those of such a character 
that they cannot find rdady acceptance in the regional periodicals 
which already exist. 

5. That members of the Ame|rican Historical Association who may 
be interested in the project, kindly consider it before the Decembesr 
meeting, with special attention to its financial aspepts. 

William Spence Robertson, 
Charles Edward Chapman. 

Doctor Robertson remained in South America for nearly a 
year thereafter, but the writer reached this country in November. 
Upon arrival in Washington he called upon Doctor Jameson, and 
learned that no definite action had been taken on the proposal. 
It therefore seemed clear that if anything was to be done, the 
writer would have to do it. He wishes particularly to acknowl- 
edge, however, the encouragement and wise counsel of Doctor 
Jameson, whose interest and aid have been steadfast throughout 
the period of the founding of the Review, and without which he 
most certainly would have failed of his purpose. At Doctor 



THE FOUNDING OF THE REVIEW 11 

Jameson's suggestion a request was made for a place on the pro- 
gram in the annual meeting of the American Historical Associa- 
tion, and a group dinner was arranged for the discussion of the 
project. While in Washington the writer called at the State and 
Treasury departments and at the Pan American Union, and 
received unofficial declarations of interest in the proposed Review. 
In New York Professor Wilham R. Shepherd and Doctor Victor 
H. Paltsits were particularly helpful with suggestions. On No- 
vember 25, the writer sent out seventy-two letters, nearly all 
to members of the history profession believed to have an interest 
in Hispanic-American studies. In this letter he called attention 
to the group dinner, invited the recipients to attend, and re- 
quested an answer expressing their views as to the idea. Little 
further action was takein until the meeting of the Association. 
Indeed, it seemed unwise to do much more until the idea should 
be indorsed; in particular, no attempt was made to procure funds. 
In the meantime, the writer went into the subject of expense, 
and procured data as to the probable annual cost of pubhcation. 
A surprisingly good record was made by the recipients of his 
letters. Sixty out of the seventy-two answered. Six opposed the 
project, eight were non-committal, and forty-six announced them- 
selves in favor of it. Most of them discussed the financial prob- 
lem, and it seemed to be the general opinion that this should be 
satisfactorily met before the Review should be launched. Another 
point taken up by them was that of the name of the magazine. 
Many objections were made to the term ''Ibero-American," the 
original suggestion of Doctor Robertson and the writer. Among 
the other names proposed were the following: Hispanic American 
Historical Review; Latin American Historical Review; and variants 
of these titles, employing such words as "Journal of History", 
"Historical Journal", "Magazine of History", and "Historical 
Magazine". Only three of the men who opposed the founding 
of the Review stated the ground of their objection, and this 
was that there were not enough men or sufficient equipment 
in this country to provide first-class articles; one of the writers 
went so far as to say that there was not enough scholarship in the 
country to support the American Historical Review, let alone any 



12 THE HISPANIC AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW 

other historical periodical. On the other hand, most of the letters 
expressed the opinion that on that score there could be no doubt 
of the success of the Review. One of the prominent reasons for 
supporting it was because of the relationships it would engender 
with Hispanic America. Some viewed the matter from the 
standpoint of national affairs, and others from that of our associa- 
tions with the historians of the southern countries. Several 
writers urged that articles by Hispanic Americans in their own 
tongue be printed frequently. A great many alluded to the 
purely professional advantages to our own men in the Hispanic- 
American field. Excerpts from specimen letters are given as an 
appendix to this article. 

In the course of the sessions of the American Historical Associa- 
tion, held in 1916, at Cincinnati, the group dinner to discuss the 
project took place on the night of December 29 at the Hotel 
Gibson. Despite counter attractions, about thirty persons were 
present, two of whom were women. Among them were the fol- 
lowing: Eugene C. Barker, Texas; E. J. Benton, Western Re- 
serve; M. L. Bonham, Jr., Louisiana; M. L. Burr, Cornell; C. 
L. Chandler, South American representative of the Southern 
Railway, Chattanooga, Tenn., and Harvard; Charles E. Chap- 
man, California; Arthur H. Clark, Cleveland, Ohio (pubUsher); 
Isaac J. Cox, Cincinnati; G. S. Godard, Hartford, Conn.; F. H. 
Hodder, Kansas; James A. James, Northwestern; J. F. Jameson, 
Managing Editor, The American Historical Review and Director 
of the Historical Research Department of Carnegie Institution 
of Washington; J. L. Kingsbury, Normal School, Kirksville, Mo.; 
J. G. McDonald, Indiana; T. M. Marshall, Idaho (now Colo- 
rado); T. P. Martin, Harvard; Miss Irene T. Myers, Lexington, 
Ky.; Victor H. Paltsits, New York Public Library; C. 0. PauUin, 
Carnegie Institution of Washington; W. W. Pierson, Jr., North 
Carolina; T. C. Powell, vice-president Southern Railway system 
and member Railway Priority Board; James A. Robertson, 
Washington, D. C; WiUiam L. Schurz, Michigan; Justin H. 
Smith, Boston, Mass.; Mrs. M. H. Stone, Saginaw, Mich.; Fred- 
erick J. Turner, Harvard; and R. G. Usher, Washington Uni- 
versity, St. Louis. Attention should be called to the distinguished 



THE FOUNDING OF THE REVIEW , 13 

character of those in attendance. Many of them were men of 
national reputation. 

The writer asked Doctor Justin H. Smith to preside, and Doctor 
James A. Robertson (not to be confused with WiUiam Spence 
Robertson, who was still in South America) to act as secretary. 
The dinner over, the writer was called upon to outline the project 
for the Review. He did so, substantially as has been indicated 
thus far in this article. In commenting upon the communication 
signed by Doctor William Spence Robertson and himself he made 
the following additional suggestions : attention should be paid to 
social, economic, and political (including diplomatic) history as 
well as to the mere external narration of events, and some con- 
temporary materials might be used from time to time; Hispanic 
America should be the principal field, but that ought to be inter- 
preted as including the entire Caribbean area and those parts of 
the United States formerly under Spain and Mexico for the pe- 
riods prior to their annexation to this country; articles on the 
Philippines, in so far as they related to things Spanish, might 
also be accepted; nevertheless, the review should in no sense 
compete with periodicals of history embracing the same areas 
within the United States, but, on the contrary, there should be a 
spirit of co-operation between the several boards of editors, for 
the new Review would rarely desire the articles which the others 
would prefer, and vice versa. Articles in French should be wel- 
comed as well as those in Spanish and Portuguese. 

At the conclusion of his address the writer offered a resolution 
in the following terms: 

' 'Resolved, by members and guests of the Amel-cian Historical Associa- 
tion gathered at the group dinner to discuss the project to foimd an 
Ihero- American Historical Review: 

' 'That the general proj ect for such a Review seems to them a desirable 
one, provided adequate financial backing can be procured. " 

At the same time he submitted two motions, as follows : 

' 'That a committee of seven be chosen at this meeting, to be called the 
Committee on Organization, with power to take all steps which may in 
their judgment seem best to found a review coming within the general 
objects proposed in the project for an Ihero-American Historical Re- 
view, their power to include: 



mtmmm 



14 r^Z HI5JA^"C AiCZBirAX HX^TOBICAIi bsvxbw 

" ; _-- r:;::: :.iii 3 dutv t: 5— k an endowmeiit to srnarantee its 



'\"o^ A right 10 s<r-e:~ :l z:Li:iT::r TJif reri: .1:2-. 

**(c) A rigiit to deiic :Jir izi:iil r: i: 7 ;' policy of the Review. 

"(di A righ.T and a duty zo priv:: i i:: r.s initifd organization and 



■ " e A ri^d" ': 5r: ilic ^-:e T7!ifn pubEeation slmll begin, provided 
that date c t z : L Ter than Jannaiy, 191S. 

"(f) A nz-i- : d-^ : 1-re without fonnding the Heview. 

*'*g^ A rii;^" -zl:. _ i-iTv to do anvrhiaff else "which mav seem desir- 
able or necessary. " 

**Hat a e'3irmiiLtee 01 tiiree be edcsrn. to be callei the Xominaiing 

ComiciTTee. "^"rd a sdisie function, to be exercised once only. viz.. a 

: ~rr 00 :n n : _z ; :: : n ircan the Committee on Organization, to make 

- : ;-. ":::!= : : dir o :- : ird of editors, who 9-h-\\] be elected in such 

-^ 1.= ;_!_" : r t: ^ £ :ii : ri bv the Committee on Organization." 

The "writer expLiined thar ae:-er'diiig to his views the first com- 
mittee should be coiiLp.:;sed. of men who were actively engaged iq 
the Hjspanic-Ajnericaii field, but the second should be made up of 
men of high striding in the profe^on who were not Hispanic 
Americanists: the latter committee he regarded as necessary in 
order to allow the monbers of the Committee on Organization to 
woifc with an entireh- free hand, free from suspicion that they were 
striving in their own interests, and yet free, when the time should 
come, to accept an election to the board of editors. There was a 
great deal of enthusiastic discussion- Among others, Prof^sors 
Baater. Bonham. Brandon. Burr, and Cox, and Doctors Chandl^, 
J^neson^ and Paltsits spoke on matters connected with the proj- 
ect, and all of them indorsed it heartily. The writer was asked 
to surest nam^ for the two conamittees, and did so, as f oUows : 

For the C iziniittee cm Or ganizat ion • 

EaM. — J^nes A. Kobertstm, Washington, D. C. chairman: William 
E. Shephexij Columbia: Edward L. Stevenson. Hispanic Society; 
Hiram Bingham, Yale: Juhus Klein. Harvard. 

Middle WeM. — ^Isaac J. Cox, Cincinnati, or Eoland G. Usher, Wash- 
ington University. 

Par We^^t. — ^Herb^t EL Bolton. California. 



aamsii 



TfTF. FOrXDIXG OF 7HZ iZ --J:-^ 15 

Doctor Ccz Tn-jnTr— i_: :lizit l^i^-ii^ :!li: :: Z : - "-Z-^ 
For thp X nTnJTiarinp p — -— — -_ Z'::t::' 7 ~ i:iit:.z Zi: :^;z 
Professor Fr-:^Tr::Z 7 7iri-rr :- Z : :: r:_5Ti:i H, .^ "--"-!. 

An amendment was made zi :: t ; :Zig the monbQ^diip <rf the 
Committee on Organization t: i-iz.- :i.i adding tl- l:zi^ of C. 
L. Chandler and C. E. Chapr:!::! _ tringpot. mt ir^ohiticHi 
and the two motions, with the names suggested and tibe ameod- 
ment to the fiist motion, were eazned nnanimoo^. Otfaer 
motions were also earned, as follows: that iiaee ntanbezs ^wuld 
constitute a quorum in the Committee aa. Orj^anizaticm; Uiat <hl 
the death or resignation of any mpmber of a eoonnittee the otfaa* 
members should be empowered to dect his aiecessar; tibatDoctoer 
Chapman be instructed to inform Doetor Willmm ^loiee 
Robertson of the appreciation of those present of hk sehcdar^b[q> 
and work : that a vote of tbanlr= be extended to Doctors Chapooan 
and Smith for their conduct of the meeting. An adjonmmiait 
was then taken, and this very suecesful occaaon was hnm^xt to 
a close. Truly, as the secretary expressed in 4e minutes, * Tlis 
meeting was deeply entfansia^ie and pmpoeefaL"* 

A year has passed since the groiq> dinns' of Decembea*, 1916, a 
year which witnessed the breaking of dqilomatic Tpfatinms by oar 
country with Germany, followed by our entrance into the great 
war. It was natural that the outbreak of war againi^ such a 
powerful enemy should tend to check entefpaises like ^lat <rf the 
founding of a scholarly periochcal not directly rdated to the e<Ht- 
flict. Xevertheless. such progress has been nmde that the edxtcss 
feel justified in offering the Review to Umb poblie; evoi in the midst 
of a war year. Whereas the wrrter necessarily had ciiiirzr : : Tie 
project up to the time of the Cincinnati meetii^ it h:: - f ^:_ :Zt 
Chairman of the Committee on Oi^nbsaticHi wiio h?. - iir : : t i 
everything done since. A sonunazy of the adiie~T_:_ _ - :: 
the Committee on Organization^ in aeecfdanee with :i.f : ^^ers 
granted it. is herewith presoited. 

It i^^s hoped that an endowment of ten thousand doOais mi^t 
be procured, but it eariy bec-ame clear that the Review coold not 

i»Semfk iwmricm, ed. by Serz-er: I, Preg^lr.- 5f:_:r r .1" j; :l-'r 



16 THE HISPANIC AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW 

compete with Red Cross work, the Y. M. C. A., Liberty Bonds, 
and the numerous other philanthropic and patriotic interests 
engendered by the war. Nothing could have been done, had it 
not been for the generosity of the Castilian-born Mr. J. C. 
Cebri^n, for forty-seven years a resident of San Francisco, and a 
citizen of the United States, who subscribed and paid in the sum 
of $2500. The following gentlemen have also subscribed sums 
aggregating $1175: Robert Alter, Cincinnati; Charles E. Chap- 
man, University of CaUfornia; C. L. Chandler, Chattanooga; 
Charles H. Cunningham, Texas; C. W. Hackett, University of 
California; Hayden Harris, New York; C. H. Hull, Cornell Uni- 
versity; P. A. Martin, Leland Stanford Junior University; W. S. 
Robertson, University of Illinois; W. R. Shepherd, Columbia 
University; Willard Straight, New York; Mr. Frederic Archer 
Upton, head of the oldest United States business house in Brazil, 
100 years old; D. B. Wentz, Philadelphia. Most of them have 
already turned over the amounts opposite their names. The 
Review begins, therefore, with an endowment of $3675 — not so 
much as the editors would like, but representing a safe margin 
until such time as subscriptions and further contributions shall 
make up a more substantial sum. All funds as received from 
guarantors were held in trust by Mr. Waldo G. Leland, Secre- 
tary of the American Historical Association. A number of indi- 
viduals and institutions have already announced their intention 
of subscribing for the Review. 

The question of a name for the periodical was the subject of 
much discussion. There was a general agreement on the use of 
the words ' 'American " and ' 'Historical", and the word ' 'Review " 
was almost equally favored over "Journal" or 'Magazine". 
Finally, the matter was narrowed down to a consideration of the 
terms "Hispanic" and "Latin". By a vote of six to one, with 
two not voting, the name Hispanic American Historical Review 
was at length chosen. The reasons for the choice of the word 
"Hispanic" are best expressed in the words of Mr. Cebrian, the 
principal guarantor of the Review : 

An initial error, followed by thoughtless routine, has caused many 
people to believe that "Hispanic" means "pertaining to Spain", where- 



THE FOUNDING OF THE REVIEW 17 

as its true meaning is "pertaining to Spain and Portugal". Hispania 
was from the beginning, and always has been, the name of the whole 
peninsula. The Romans divided Hispania into Tarracon^sis and 
Betica; Augustus subdivided the latter into Betica and Lusitania; 
later, there were five provinces, but Hispania was the name of the whole. 
During the Middle Ages th^e were several kingdoms, one of which 
came to be Portugal, but the name Hispania was retained in European 
Hterature. The Greek name Iberia might also be appHed, but with less 
justice than Hispania, since Iberia extended into France, while His- 
pania was restricted to the peninsula. On the other hand, the term 
"Latin" means "pertaining to France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal". 
It is a fact that neither France nor Italy discovered, settled, or civi- 
hzed the lands south of the United States. Spain and Portugal, 
unaided by the other Latin countries, fashioned the new world after 
their own image. The few spots where Danish, Dutch, or French is 
spoken, in the Wqst Indian Islands, are negligible quantities compared 
with the huge mainland areas. The few thousand negroes and negroids 
who spoil the French language in Hayti can hardly be considered Latin. 
Furthermore their land was originally and for many years under 
Spanish control. If we choose to call the southern peoples "Latin" 
because their language is derived from the Latin, then we ought to call 
the North Americans ' 'Teutonic " ; indeed, there is much more German, 
Scandinavian, and Dutch blood in the United States and Canada than 
there is French and Italian blood in the otheir Americas. The world 
very wisely has not adopted "Teutonic America" for the United States 
and Canada, and in like manner it should not employ "Latin America" 
for the countries which are not Latin but Hispanic. The term "Latin 
America", with its fourfold implication, is ambiguous, misleading, and 
unscientific, while "Hispanic America", with its twofold significance, is 
unambiguous, complete, truthful, scientific, and just. 

The Committee on Organization felt that the proposal of 
Doctor W. S. Robertson and the writer as expanded by the latter 
in his talk at Cincinnati adequately expressed the initial editorial 
policy of the Review. Provision was made for a board of editors 
of six members, one of whom was to be the managing editor. 
The managing editor was to be elected by the board and was to 
retain his post permanently or until a successor should be chosen 
by a majority (four members) of the board. In the case of the 
first board, lots were to be drawn by the five members other than 



18 THE HISPANIC AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW 

the managing editor for terms of respectively one, two, three, four, 
and five years. Thereafter, the editors chosen were to serve for 
five years. Thus one member was to be elected each year. It 
was agreed that members of the board might stand for re-election, 
although it was deemed probable that most of them would not do 
so. Except in the case of the first board (to be chosen as herein- 
after stated), new members were to be elected by a vote of a 
majority, exclusive of the retiring members (three out of five). 
Legal title was vested in the board of editors, who were to pledge 
themselves to carry on the affairs of the periodical in a way which 
seemed to them conducive of the best results for the men in this 
countrj^ engaged in the field of Hispanic-American history. The 
managing editor and the other members of the board were to make 
any further provision for the conduct of the Review which they 
might deem to be necessary or proper. In addition, a board of 
consulting editors was arranged for. Two were to be chosen at 
the outset (as hereinafter stated) and others were to be added 
whenever the active board of editors should so decide. The 
office was to be an honorary one for men who had greatly dis- 
tinguished themselves in the Hispanic-American field, but who 
were imable to devote their time to the publication of the Review. 
They were to be consulted by the active board on matters of 
importance, and their suggestions were to be received at aU times 
with due respect and attention. 

While the Review was not pubhshed as early as January, 1918, 
no objection was made by members of the two committees or by 
the guarantors to a later start. In any event, February was 
deemed a better month in which to begin, because it would mean 
that the subscribers might receive the Review in a different 
month from those in which the other leading history quarterlies 
arrive, besides which it would enable the complete volume to 
coincide with a given year. On account of the war some favored 
a long postponement of pubhcation, but it was at length decided 
to issue the first number under date of February, 1918. It was 
agreed that the managing editor should receive a salary of one 
thousand doUars a year. There were to be no other salaried 
officers and no allowances for traveling expenses, but all inci- 



mp«p 



THE FOUNDING OF THE REVIEW 19 

dental expenses for necessary office supplies, etc., were to be met 
from the funds of the Review. Articles and other matter were 
to be paid for at the rate of two dollars a printed page. 

Finally, the Committee on Organization agreed that the Com- 
mittee on Nominations should not only nominate the first Board 
of Editors (active and consulting), but that election should be 
determined by the mere fact of acceptance of the nomination. 
On Decmber 2, 1917, the Chairman of the Committee on Organi- 
zation (who was at that time in California) wrote to the Chairman 
of the Committee on Nominations announcing the posts for 
which names were desired. The report of the latter committee 
was made at a meeting of those interested in the new Review, 
which was held at Philadelphia (December 29) during the annual 
conference of the American Historical Association, and was as 
follows : 

On notification from the Committee on Organization that the Com- 
mittee on Nominations was desired to name a Board of six editors and 
two Advisory Editors, the Committee on Nominations reports as follows: 
Board of Editors: Charles E, Chapman, Isaac J. Cox, Julius Klein, 
WilKam R. Manning, James A. Robertson, and WilKam Spence 
Robertson. 

Advisory Editors: Herbert E. Bolton, and William R. Shepherd. 

J. F. Jameson, 
[Signed! Justin H. Smith, 

Frederick J. Turner. 

On motion duly seconded, the report of the Committee on 
Nominations was adopted as read, and the secretary of the meet- 
ing (the Chau'man of the Committee on Organization), by virtue 
of the double authority vested in him, informed the nominees of 
the action of the Committee on Nominations, it being understood 
that election to the positions covered by the nominations should 
be contingent on the acceptance of said nominations. Upon the 
acceptance of the nominations by the several nominees, the Com- 
mittee on Nominations, m accordance with the terms of its 
appointment, ceased to exist. 

The Committee on Organization, acting through its chairman, 
contracted with the Waverly Press of Baltimore to pubUsh the 



20 THE HISPANIC AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW 

Review, and the material for the first number was, accordingly, 
seint to the said company. At the meeting in Philadelphia above- 
mentioned, a brief report was made of the operations of the Com- 
mittee on Organisation by its chairman. On vote of the Board, 
Doctor James A. Robertson was (in February) elected managing 
editor. With this, it may fairly be said that the Hispanic 
American Historical Review had become definitely estab- 
Hshed. While it is probable that reports will be given from 
time to time with regard to its inner progress, that is a matter 
that lies in the decision of the managing editor and the board. 

Charles E. Chapman. 

APPENDIX 

Excerpts from letters to Charles E. Chapman in December, 1916.^ 

"I am glad to hear that a plan is on foot to found an Ibero-American 
Historical Review. Aside from the service which such a Review can 
render to students of history in the United States, it also will serve to 
arouse a deeper interest in the development of Latin-American countries 
and will serve as a means of fostering closer intellectual and cultural 
ties with these countries. The founding of such a Review will, I am 
certain, be received with great satisfaction throughout the countries of 
Latin America." — L. S. Rowe, University of Pennsylvania. The testi- 
mony of a man so highly esteemed in South America as Professor Rowe 
is decidedly worthy of consideration. 



"The project seems to me extremely desirable and I shall be glad 
to cooperate in any way in helping make it a success." — Hiram Bing- 
ham, Yale University. Professor Bingham went on to say that he him- 
self had proposed a similar project a few years ago. 



' 'Needless to say I am heartily in favor of the plan of launching an 
Ibero-American Historical Review. I have long been convinced of the 
desirability of such a publication and the present time seems particularly 
opportune for making the venture. I shall be glad to further the plan 

* In the circular letter sent out by the writer the terms ' 'Ibero-American His- 
torical Review" and ' 'Latin America" were used. This helps to account for their 
employment in many of the replies. 



THE FOUNDING OF THE REVIEW 21 

in every possible way, even to the lejiding of a certain amount of finan- 
cial assistance. " — P. A. Martin, Leland Stanford Junior University. 
This letter is inserted as characteristic of the enthusiasm with which 
the project was received by the younger men in the Hispanic-American 
group of our historians. It will be noticed that Doctor Martin's name 
appears in the list of donors to the Review. 



''I beheve in the project for the Ibero-American Historical Review, 
and feel sure that if it is properly planned, manned, and supported, it 
will be a great force in the development of the vast field of Spanish- 
American history which is so insistently claiming the attention of 
American scholars. What is most needed now is a good journal, to 
serve as a focal point for the interests of all students in the field, Euro- 
pean, Anglo-American, and Latin- American. It should provide a place 
for articles, reviews, news, notes, documents, and, especially, bibho- 
graphical and archival lists." — Herbert E. Bolton, University of Cali- 
fornia. The need and the function could hardly be stated more clearly 
than this. 



' 'I want to support the idea enthusiastically. Any means of forming 
a bond of sjonpathy between the history people of the two continents 
ought to have wholesome backing from North American students. Our 
men here like the idea. Professors Bolton and Stephens have already 
written to you, but let me assure you that some of the younger men 
[naming five] join with me in hoping for the ejiterprise a prompt and 
successful initiation." — Herbert I. Priestley, University of California. 
This letter is inserted to call attention to the fact that there are a number 
of younger men in the country writing masters' and doctors' theses, 
some of whose work would occasionally merit inclusion in the Review. 
This means help to the Review and encouragement to studetots. 



"To say that the project to found an 'Ibero-American Historical 
Review' interests me is putting the case mildly . . . The scope might 
well be extended so as to embrace the history and institutions of Spain 
and Portugal. Indeed it might be broadened enough to provide a 
field of study for contemporaneous Spain, Portugal and Latin America, 
affording space, not only for articles on present-day conditions, political, 
social, economic, and intellectual, but for a record of current events, 
and for lists and reviews of works dealing with the various themes, both 



22 THE HISPANIC AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW 

of the last two items in particular being very difficult to find. My idea 
in brief, then, would be to have the new journal represent Spain, Portu- 
gal and their national descendants in America to the educated Enghsh- 
speaking world, to serve as a sort of intellectual clearing-house, in a way 
no existing periodical does. It ought to describe them not only as they 
have been, but as they are. ... So far as I am aware, periodicals 
printed in EngHsh and dealing with Latin America are not only silent 
about Spain and Portugal, but they give scant heed to the history and 
institutions of the Latin-American countries themselves. . . . We 
need in this country an agency of information which will supply both to 
the student and to the general reader items that will awaken interest 
and hold it." — WiUiam R. Shepherd, Columbia University. The above 
is only one of a number of letters since written by Professor Shephejrd in 
which the most helpful suggestions are made and emphasis is placed on 
the importance of founding the proposed Review. The following 
excerpt from one of them, coming as it does from such an authority 
as Professor Shepherd, is particularly worthy of presentation. "No 
area on earth is likely to have a more conspicuous place in the inter- 
national affairs of mankind than that of the twenty southern repubHcs; 
and no foreign power can have a more immediate interest in them than 
the United States." It is with regret that the writer feels unable to 
insert more of Professor Shepherd's words on the subject, for they con- 
stitute, he beHeves, the strongest argument he has seen of the need for 
the new Review, It may also be pointed out that Professor Shepherd's 
name appears in the list of donors to the Review. 



'^This project is a very interesting one, and it may be that I will be 
able to be of some assistance to you when it is finally formulated." — 
Willard Straight, New York City. Mr. Straight has generously sub- 
scribed five hundred dollars. 



"I am naturally interested in the proposed publication referred to 
. . . I should be glad to learn more of your plan if, as I imagine, it 
has in some measure taken form." — Archer M. Huntington. At the 
time, the project could hardly be said to have taken form. It is 
now an accompHshed fact. 



"It is impossible for the Pan American Union, or for myself as its 
head and, therefore, an international officer, to endorse any project 



THE FOUNDING OF THE REVIEW 23 

whatever. . . , I can say however, that the general idea which you 
outHne of a quarterly interests me, and, speaking from hasty judgment, 
I think it is a field which would be appreciated by a considerable con- 
stituency. If you go ahead towards the reahzation of your plan, I am 
am quite sure that all of us connected with the Pan American Union will 
be glad to give you such aid as we consistently can. ... I want 
to see you succeed." — John Barrett, Pan American Union. 



"Such an enterprise, in my opinion, would surely contribute sub- 
stantially to improve Latin-American relations with the United States 
by affording a common vehicle for the pubHcation of historical articles 
and discussions in which all the peoples of America have an interest. 
It is gratifjring to learn that many Latin American scholars have already 
given assurances of support, and I have no doubt of the success of this 
quarterly when once launched." — W. G. McAdoo, Secretary of the 
Treasury. 



The following letter to Doctor James A. Robertson dated June 2, 1917, 
may also be inserted: ' 'It gives me pleasure to inform you that I have 
read with great interest the minutes of a conference on the foundation 
of a Journal of Latin-American History, held at Cincinnati, December 
29, 1916, and wish to say to you that I beheve that a Journal of Latin- 
American History would be of gre^t benefit, both to the scholars of this 
coimtry and to those of Latin America. It would also serve the purpose 
for which all of us have been striving both in the past, and, particularly, 
in the present, namely the foundation of closer relationship between 
_all of the Americas." — Robert Lansing, Secretary of State. A letter 
of the writer to Mr. Lansing was mislaid. It is interesting to observe 
that the Secretary of State wrote, some six months afterward, when the 
writer's letter was discovered, that he would be glad to speak a word for 
the Review, if it were not too late. The above document was the result. 
It is also worth while to note that Mr. McAdoo and Mr. Lansing were 
the only United States ofl&cials who were asked to make a statement with 
regard to the project — with the exception of President Wilson. The 
letter of our president, published elsewhere in this number, is enough 
in itself to justify the appearance of the Review and to entitle it to the 
encouragment and support of high-minded Americans. 



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